Let's Make The Best Of A Bad Decision – Part 1 of 2

Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. Part of running life's race is dealing with bad decisions. Are you stuck with the after effects of a bad move you've made? Joshua made a poor call during his conquest of Canaan and how he dealt with it can help us deal with our bad choices.

Stay with us. From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Pastor Lutzer, when we make bad decisions, like the one we'll hear about today, are these decisions part of the will of God? Dave, one thing about you is you seldom ask me a very easy question. When you ask me a question like the one you've just asked, we must understand that there are certain nuances here and we need to distinguish those nuances.

Of course, I can't do that very well in a couple of sentences, but let me try. As far as God's revealed will, if we disobey God, and I'm assuming here that that's what you meant, the answer is no, this is not what God revealed. In that sense, it's contrary to his will. But if you look at God's hidden will and you look at all the things that God has accomplished, you realize that everything is worked into his program. And in the instance of Joshua, who made a bad decision, well, it was a bad decision, but it was not an intentionally bad decision.

So of course, there was grace, there was forgiveness, and we'll find out exactly how God handled it. I want to say this, that running to win is in 50 different countries in five different languages. And I mention that because of people just like you who help us. Would you consider becoming an endurance partner? I want you to hang on to that phrase, an endurance partner, because at the end of this broadcast, I'm going to be giving you some info as to how you can find out about it. And God may be speaking to you and saying, yes, let me at least investigate the possibility of becoming an endurance partner.

So more of that right after this message. Being the best of a bad decision. One day, I bought a sports coat. Because I'm a last born, I find it difficult to make decisions like that. Didn't know if I liked it, took it home and was sure I didn't.

I don't think I wore it anywhere. In fact, a couple of months later, when we boxed up some clothes to give them to charity, I just put it in and thought, good riddance. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could do that way with all of our bad decisions?

Simply take care of them and say, good riddance. Let's move on. Now, if you buy a house and that's a bad decision, if you don't have enough money to pay for it or if it was overpriced or whatever, now we begin to talk about decisions that are a little bit more serious. And if you begin to talk about something like marriage which represents an oath before God, now we're talking really serious. Mary Welchel received this letter from a listener just a couple of weeks ago.

I'd like to thank you for reading this letter and answering my question from a biblical standpoint. I was separated from my husband for seven years and then he filed for a divorce. During those seven years, we had tried marriage counseling and when we were close to having a major break go our way, my husband stopped coming and said that if I really loved him, we didn't need counseling. Well, our divorce is final and she gives the date and she says he has remarried and now realizes that was a mistake. So he has started calling me asking if he divorced his new wife, would I take him back? Before he was married, I told him that I would take him back because I wanted our family to be together and to leave a godly legacy for our children. So my question is, do I tell him yes or no? I want to do the biblical thing. I don't know what to tell him.

Well, by the time this message is over, we'll have some knowledge as to what to tell him but for now, we just leave it and say, now that's serious. Joshua, of all things, made a bad decision. Now, sometimes we make bad decisions because we're pressured into them. I think, for example, of young women who have gotten abortions because the boyfriend wanted it or the parents wanted it and so, you see, it's possible to be pressured into a bad decision. Sometimes also bad decisions are made because of rebellion. We know that it's wrong but we want to do it anyway. The other possibility is that we are, what shall I say, impulsive.

We make decisions too quickly. We don't submit them to God and say, Lord, what will the vow have me to do? Take your Bibles and turn to that bad decision that Joshua made. It's found in the ninth chapter of the book of Joshua and the background is this. God had told the Israelites, do not make a treaty with any people in the land. That's back in the book of Exodus, chapter 23. God said, don't make a treaty with anyone in the land. Well, wouldn't you know it, the Gibeonites who were in the land, they played a trick on Joshua and pretended that they were not in the land, from the land, and so he made a treaty with him.

They made a treaty with him, yes. Now chapter nine opens when all the kings of the west of the Jordan heard about these things. That is the defeat of Jericho and the defeat of Ai.

You can imagine how word spread and the other kings. They were absolutely terrified. They came together to make war against Joshua and Israel. Verse three, however, when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they resorted to a ruse. They went as a delegation whose donkeys were loaded with worn out sacks and old wine skins, cracked and mended.

The men put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes and all the bread of their food was moldy and dry. And then they went up to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, we have come from a distant country, make a treaty with us. Well, they asked questions and so forth and then the men said, that is the Gibeonites, verse nine, your servants have come from a very distant country because of the fame of the Lord your God. We have heard reports of him, all that he did in Egypt and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites. And so it goes on in verse 11, we are your servants, make a treaty with us.

Well, that's the way the trap was laid. First of all, they lied about their origin. They said that we are from a far country and they weren't.

I've been to Gibeon in Israel many years ago and Gibeon is actually just seven or eight miles north of Jerusalem. I mean, they're right, right there in the middle of the land. So they lied about their origin.

They also lied about their intentions. They said, we want to worship the same God that you do and we've heard of the fame of the Lord and so what we'd like to do is to get in on that blessing and we'll be your servants. I don't want to push the analogy too far, but isn't that a little bit like the devil? The devil says to us, he lies about his origin. He doesn't tell us where these ideas that are in our minds are coming from because he does not want us to fear him. One day, Ananias and Sapphira were having a little discussion over a couple of bagels and they said, let's lie about the amount that we sold this land for and let's pretend that we gave it all to the church so that we look better. Now, somebody would have said, well, when you were at your breakfast enjoying that bagel, Satan actually came and put that idea in your mind.

They'd have been terrified. Could you imagine Satan revealing who he really was showing up in the kitchen and saying, I am the devil and I have a proposal for you. The devil never does that. He remains hidden and gives us the impression that the ideas that he put in our minds are actually ours. The origin is always to be hidden and then of course he lies about his intentions. I want to do good for you and if you follow me, it will be to your benefit, the devil says in effect and so people go along and they begin to listen to these other voices. Well, that's exactly what the Israelites did.

The trap is laid, the deception is laid out before them and wouldn't you know it, the trap is sprung. Joshua and his leaders fall for it. You'll notice it says, verse 14, the men of Israel sampled their provisions, they checked out the bread, they looked at their sandals, their old wine skins, but here's the key phrase now, everyone awake at this juncture, they did not inquire of the Lord. Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by an oath.

There you have it. Now, why did Joshua make this treaty with people disobeying the scriptures, though he did not know at the time that he was disobeying the scriptures, but why did he do it? First of all, he based his decision on superficial evidence. Yes, he felt that moldy bread. Yes, he saw the old sandals and the cracked wine skins and thought that he had enough information to make a decision on his own. My friend today I want you to know that none of us ever has enough information to make a decision entirely on our own.

We just don't have enough information. I think, for example, of you students talking about a serious matter such as marriage, you may think you know who God wants you to marry. How do you know what lies in your future? How do you know what twists and turns may be in your life?

I urge you, you had better inquire of the Lord because you don't know the future. A moment ago I was talking about buying a house, and we've never bought a house that we've regretted, but it's possible for others to do that. I heard of a couple who just absolutely loved this house. This was just their dream home. It was within their price range.

It was located in the right place. And just before they signed the papers, someone else beat them to it. You know how that happens. And they were so disappointed. Lord, how can you let this happen to us and so forth? Well, about six months afterwards, they discovered that the basement of that house that they wanted so badly, that one of the walls totally collapsed and just caved in.

Boy, were they glad that they didn't buy that house. We don't know the future. We don't have enough information at hand to be able to say this is a wise decision.

It looks that way. We had better do what Joshua didn't inquire of the Lord. Why is it that so many Christians make decisions without asking God?

I've been around long enough. Once you get at my age, you know human nature enough. I think reason number one is we're a little scared that he's going to say no. In our hearts, we say to ourselves, you know, if I honestly submit this to God, if I really do give it, what if God doesn't give me what I want? I'd better casually say, well, Lord, you know what I'm doing and so forth. And then just go ahead and do it. You know that old line, it's easier to get forgiveness than permission.

So what you do is you just go ahead and you do it and do your own thing. Bad, bad idea. We are too self-confident.

We do not know the future and we do not know what wise decisions are. They should be submitted to the Lord. So Joshua has painted himself into a corner now. He's made the agreement, the assembly, ratified it by an oath. And so what is he going to do? Three days later he discovers that he had been tricked. So does he say to himself, well, you know, it doesn't really apply today because, you know, these folks came under false pretenses, dah, dah, dah, dah.

No. Notice what happens. Three days after they made the treaty with the Gibeonites in verse 16, the Israelites heard that they were neighbors and the whole ruse falls apart. The whole assembly grumbled against the leaders and I'm picking it up now at verse 19, but all the leaders answered, we have given them our oath by the Lord, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now. This is what we will do to them. We will let them live, notice this, so that the wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath that we swore to them.

Wow. Joshua is saying, you know, this is serious business. We made an agreement that we regret making and it's going to cost us something.

These folks are going to be a thorn in our side, but at the same time we're not just going to pull out just because it's inconvenient. Psalm 15 verse 4, blessed is he who swears to his own hurt but does not change. Yeah, you regret it. This was a mistake, but a promise is a promise and an oath is an oath and an agreement is an agreement and so I'm going to hang in as a result of that. You say, well, Pastor Luther, is there ever a time when it is legitimate to break an oath? Yes, if you make an agreement, say, with the devil, that should be broken. And I'll tell you why. It's because the devil has no right whatever to make any agreement with anyone because he owns nothing.

He comes under those kinds of false pretenses. It would be like someone taking my children and selling them into slavery. I'd say, wait a moment, what do you mean you're taking my children and selling them into slavery?

You don't own them. There's no basis upon which you have a right to do that, so all agreements with the devil should be broken. Now we get into the thorny question of divorce.

Yes, in the Old Testament, God said that men are to love their wives and be married, but because of the hardness of heart, there were some exceptions and that, of course, is something that is debated today, and it is certainly not my intention to get off onto that difficult subject, but I go back to the letter I read just a moment ago. Here's a man who for seven years was separated from his wife, received counseling, which he did not accept, marries somebody else, knows that it's a mistake, wants to divorce the second wife so that he can go back and marry the first, and then probably say, you know, I'm doing it for the benefit of my kids, so that the kids have a godly legacy. Hello. Excuse me.

Anybody at home here? Simple fact is, my friend, on what basis would he divorce his second wife? He didn't keep his first oath. God help him keep his second oath as a matter of fact in the Old Testament Deuteronomy chapter 24, it says very clearly that even if there is a woman who comes between in a marriage, the man is not to go back to his previous wife. That is to say, let me be clear about this, if a man divorces his wife and marries another, he is not to go back to that original wife, even if that second wife should die, God says. No, what you need to do is to stay where you are at and display the grace and the mercy of God in the midst of foolish oaths and decisions. This is what the Bible says. Oh, by the way, there is one other case where an oath can be broken, and that is in the Old Testament where it says that a father can break the oath of his daughter if she makes a foolish vow.

And I think that that still has application today. If you have minor children who are in the home and under your authority and they make a foolish vow, you as a parent can take authority over that and break a foolish vow. But I want you to notice it says in Ecclesiastes chapter five verses four to five, it says, when thou vowest a vow to the Lord, defer not to pay it, because God does not have pleasure in fools. It is much better not to vow than having vowed to break it. God takes oaths seriously. Well, you know, speaking about God taking oaths seriously, I'm holding in my hands here a letter from someone, a listener who wrote, I've listened to you many times on the radio.

Our marriage was severely damaged through adultery and divorce. But since my remarriage, my husband and I have relied on the Lord and thank him for rebuilding our lives. Your teaching blesses our family. It helps us to grow in trust in the Lord, and on and on it goes. Now here's what I want to say. God is with us in our bad decisions.

He resolves them in various ways. And because of people just like you, the message of God's grace in this broken world is going to 50 different countries in five different languages. Have you been blessed as a result of this ministry? Would you consider helping us? Would you consider becoming an endurance partner? That's someone who stands with us regularly with their prayers and their gifts.

And of course, the amount that you give is entirely your decision. Here's what you can do to find out more info. You go to RTWOffer.com.

That's RTWOffer.com. And when you're there, you click on the endurance partner button, or you call us at 1-888-218-9337. When you become a part of the Moody Church media family, as I like to put it, testimonies like the one that I have read becomes your testimony. You become a part of what we are doing. Well, at least investigate.

Go to RTWOffer.com, click on the endurance partner button, or call us right now at 1-888-218-9337. It's time again for you to ask Pastor Lutzer a question about the Bible or the Christian life. The heartbreak of injustice is very clear in this letter from Cheryl, a listener from Missouri. She writes, My husband has been involved in an adulterous relationship with a divorcee. She is now pregnant, and so my husband has filed for divorce from me. My husband's friends attend our church, but they're talking about God's blessing on my husband and his girlfriend with a baby. I used to pray for my husband and the restoration of our marriage, but now I don't know how to pray anymore.

Satan is attacking my thoughts and emotions. Am I correct in thinking that these people who are willing to support my husband and his sin are listening to Satan's lies? I love my husband and feel sorry for him. However, he has made it clear how much he loathes me and blames me for his unhappiness. How can people believe his lies about me and now think that their adultery is being blessed by true love and a gift from God in this baby?

I feel like I'm the one being punished for my husband's sinful choices. Well, Cheryl, what a story. What a situation.

What a challenge. Let me say a couple of things first of all. Isn't it wonderful that at the judgment seat of Jesus Christ, all of these things are going to be sorted out and reality finally is going to come to the surface? That's why there is the judgment seat of Jesus Christ for Christians to resolve such messy issues that seem to have no resolution here on earth.

Couple of other comments. There's no doubt about it that your husband has sinned very grievously before the Lord and before everyone else, including you of course, by having this adulterous relationship, and now this woman is pregnant with his baby. What we need to do is to distinguish between the sin and the fact that God may use sin at times for his glory. Certainly all babies are gifts from God, and we need to keep that in mind. Remember, David should never have married Bathsheba, but he ended up marrying her and he himself had committed adultery.

You know the story. And from that relationship, Solomon is born, and Solomon was a great king despite his many sins as well. So God uses the things of this world. Of course, the people in the church are wrong to commend your husband or to talk about God's grace unless he is repentant.

Then they can begin to talk about God's grace. But can you sort all of this out? Can you track down the lies that are being told about you?

Absolutely not. All that you must do at this situation is to guard your own heart. The Bible says, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. So you commit all that to God because you can't straighten this out. Secondly, guard your heart. Above all, the Bible says, guard your heart, for out of the heart are the issues of life. Don't become bitter. Keep committing yourself to God.

Probably it is of no value at all for you to justify yourself. All that you can do is to stand back, make sure that your own response to all of these injustices is to be Christlike. And God will bring you through grace, and I hope that he brings you to the other side.

Someday the sun will shine again. Cheryl, our prayer is that, like Job, when God has finished trying you, you will come forth as he did, like gold. Thank you, Pastor Lutzer. If you'd like to hear your question answered, go to our website at rtwoffer.com and click on Ask Pastor Lutzer. Or call us at 1-888-218-9337.

That's 1-888-218-9337. You can write to us at Running to Win, 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois, 60614. Running to Win comes to you from the Moody Church in Chicago to help you understand God's roadmap for your race of life. Next time on Running to Win, we learn how God uses even our bad choices to work out his ultimate will in our lives. Thanks for listening. For Pastor Erwin Lutzer, this is Dave McAllister. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.